After 11 years, town faces defeat to Tesco

An 11-year planning battle pitting Tesco against townspeople and featuring secret agreements, allegations of corruption and dramatic U-turns could end in victory today for the supermarket giant.

Twelve councillors will vote on whether to allow Tesco into the Norfolk town of Sheringham after the district council's planners urged them to accept Tesco's proposal for a 1,500sq metre store.

While anti-supermarket campaigners will make a final plea to councillors, the mood in the seaside town of 7,000 residents and more than 100 independent businesses - the only settlement of its size in Norfolk still without one of the big four supermarkets - was pessimistic yesterday.

"The arrival of Tesco will close the town down like it has with every other market town," said local baker Alex Herbert. "It will be a slow death but for some it will be quite quick."

The meeting comes after this week's Competition Commission report into the grocery market disappointed anti-supermarket campaigners by clearing Tesco of using its buying power to drive smaller shops out of business. Although the provisional findings of the 17-month inquiry propose forcing the big four to sell development sites where they are dominant, the commission chairman Peter Freeman said shoppers got a "pretty good deal".

"The results are absolutely abysmal," said Janet Farrow, chair of Sheringham Chamber of Commerce. "We thought they were looking into the effect of the massive buying power of supermarkets on high streets and suppliers but they've come out with changing the planning regulations. It just doesn't help the high street at all."

The Sheringham Chamber of Commerce calculates that more than 10% of local businesses - up to 16 - will close within 12 months of the Tesco store opening. Traders say North Norfolk district council has promised to reduce their business rates next year - an admission, traders claim, that Tesco will hit their businesses.

The battle in Sheringham has demonstrated the determination of anti-supermarket activists across the country but has also showed Tesco's refusal to bow to local opposition. Council planners recorded 516 letters of opposition and 195 letters of support for the store.

Despite the Guardian exposing a secret legal agreement between former council staff and Tesco, preventing councillors from considering a proposal by a rival to build a smaller store on council land, Tesco pressed on. This year, it submitted the latest planning application. It also has an appeal pending against the "non determination" of its previous application.

North Norfolk planners are urging councillors to let Tesco into Sheringham. A study by the council's retail consultant, GVA Grimley, said some shops would shut but argued the town would benefit from "claw-back", in which shoppers who travel to big stores in neighbouring communities will shop locally if Tesco arrives. The council's planning officer concluded: "The positive benefits of the proposed store on the overall vitality, viability, role and attraction of Sheringham town centre would outweigh any negative impacts."

Locals have cast doubt on the independence of the council's retail report: GVA Grimley's client list includes Tesco. Reg Grimes, chairman of Sheringham Preservation Society, said of the use of GVA Grimley as consultants: "There's certainly a conflict of interest there."

A spokesman for GVA Grimley, who employ 1,800 people in the UK, said: "GVA Grimley are giving independent advice on planning matters to North Norfolk district council and we do not act for Tesco in Sheringham so no conflict of interest arises. We also act for virtually every major retailer and the government from time to time."

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